AMC: Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces
by AshleighAishwarya
Summary: A new, unofficial story in my Alessa Monica Caine series. Summary inside!
1. Intro

Hi all! Ashleigh here again. I'm here with a new Alessa Monica Caine CSI: Miami story. I had this idea a while back and I decided go with it eventually. Beware! LOTS of angst! I mean LOTS! Can't help it :/

I promise to do regular CSI: Miami fan fictions when my mind lets me come up with a better idea :/

Now, this isn't really considered to be part of the series, but it's just something that occurred to me after watching 10x01. Lots of Alessa and Ryan. Alessa and Horatio too (of course! XD)

* * *

**Here's so it's gonna go:** (From Alessa's POV) _I tried… I tried so hard to save him. I really did. I could've done something more. I did everything I could, but he's… he's gone. He's gone, and he's not coming back. I just wish... there was something I could do... _

_I tried to save you. I tried so damn hard. I'm nothing but shattered shards on the cold floor, holding your frail hand as I try to get a response from you. I'm trying to deal with it. But it's impossible. The only thing that had me standing tall was the strength you gave me. But when you left? You took that strength with you._

_No… no. Here we are again. No way. No way in hell am I letting another family member die in front of me. I don't want your blood on my hands as well. I… I have to… I have to help him. Help him, Alessa!_

* * *

Oooh. I bet I'm scaring people. Sorry. :/

Anyways, I need a good title for this. Here are some suggestions. Can you guys help me pick a good one? If you have some ideas, do share!

- AMC: Airplanes in the Night Sky (Huge reference to the song)

- AMC: Broken

- AMC: Slipped Away

- AMC: Falling to Pieces

- AMC: When It All Ends


	2. Escape

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

"_It was all over before it even began. Life wasn't exactly all that great for me. It was terrible. Things were starting to look up for once, all thanks to the people whom had cared so much for me._

_But it's not fair when someone with no regard for human life just comes in and destroys the pretty picture that had been painted just for me; by taking away someone who mattered so damn much to me. You had no right… no goddamn right to take him away from me…_

_I want to move on, believe me, but I can't. You say I'm strong enough but I'm not. When you came into my life, you gave me the strength to stand tall, and when you left? You took that strength with you._

_Right now, I'm falling to shattered bits and pieces, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it."_

* * *

**Location: Miami Dade Crime Lab**

Alessa Monica Caine, the team's newest CSI Level 2, exited the elevator and began to make her way to the locker room, after finally closing a case. This case had been real tough on her, but she managed to pull through and put the killer away. She and Ryan had worked hard on it and their work paid off.

She opened up her locker and took out her handbag. She checked the contents. Satisfied, she closed it and turned around, and was gently laid against the locker by a familiar face. "Oh! You kinda scared me." She admitted.

"I'm not that scary, am I?" Ryan Wolfe asked as he had one hand against the locker.

She played with his collar in shyness. "No, you're not." She blushed. "You're smart, handsome, sweet… did I mention handsome?"

"A bunch of times." He grinned.

Everything about this man was taking her breath away. "What can I do for you, handsome?"

"Just thought I'd see my girlfriend before she went home; and also to once again say how beautiful she looks with her new hairstyle." He said, after noticing that Alessa had cut bangs.

"Thank you." She thanked, and stared deep into his eyes.

He slowly leaned in to kiss her when both their cell phones beeped at the same time, ruining the moment.

"Excuse me." He said.

"Excuse _me_." She said as well. They read the text message. "Oh my gosh… the patrol car carrying Nina Roberts was attacked."

"And she fled the scene." Ryan finished.

Alessa was flabbergasted. "Oh God… it must be her gang members. We couldn't catch all of them. The remaining members must've organized her escape."

"We better get there."

* * *

**Location: Crime Scene (Convict Nina Roberts' escape scene)**

Nina Roberts was possibly the most dangerous woman in Miami. A beautiful blonde 27-year-old with the most deceiving eyes anyone has ever seen, she and her gang have been involved in kidnapping, assault, trafficking of drugs and weapons, everything. It took a lot, but Alessa managed to catch and convict her; by entering her gang posed as a newbie. Even against Horatio's words, she went with it, and thankfully, came out alive, with a warrant to arrest Nina. Nina was a perilous woman to deal with, but Alessa was not intimidated by her constant threats.

"_You made a _huge _mistake, Alessa. My boys will find out everything you. And when they do? They gonna start torturing you… by taking away everyone you love one by one. You're gonna see them die right in front of your eyes. And that's when you can't do a damn thing to save them. You messed with the wrong girl, Alessa sweetheart. Now you're gonna pay for it."_

Alessa was not afraid of this woman. She simply told Nina to rot in hell. "I can't believe this." She exclaimed, looking at the wreckage. The patrol car had been toppled over and the driver laid on the floor, dead. "She's running around in Miami, probably armed. We need to find her, Ryan, before she strikes."

"But what can we do? I mean, she could be anywhere." He explained.

Ryan was right. Nina was in the wind, and it was not going to be easy to find her.


	3. Shot

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: The Caine's Home (Later That Night)**

On that same night, in the Caine's home and dressed in her black cardigan, Alessa started to go through a file on Nina Roberts' possible hangouts and hideouts. Even though they have been secured by the police, they would not hesitate to take it back. Alessa knew Nina: she will always get her way.

Horatio then interrupted her. "Honey, we need to talk."

Alessa literally had her nose in the file. "Can't, Horatio. I need to figure out Nina's possible hideouts." She said without looking at him.

He sighed. "Please?"

She looked at him, and saw the concerned look on his face. "You look worried." She put the file down. "Is something wrong?"

"Am I to understand that Nina threatened you?" He asked.

Alessa had not told anyone about that, except for Ryan. "Yeah, she did. She threatened me. So?"

"'So'?" Horatio was going to freak out. "Honey, Nina is a cold-blooded killer. She just escaped a patrol car and left an officer dead. She directly threatened _you_. She's going to come after you, Alessa. I can't let that happen!"

"Horatio, why are you so worried? Nina may be a convicted killer, among other things, but she doesn't scare me. She can threaten me all she wants, but I'm not going to run scared because of her." She strictly said. "You're my father. I get it. You're worried, but I can take care of myself."

Horatio sighed again. "Alright. But at least let me assign some protection for you."

She smiled. "Okay. If it'll make you feel better."

He smiled back. "Thank you."

* * *

**Location: Bank at Coconut Grove (The Next Day)**

The bank at Coconut Grove had been attacked and robbed by Nina Roberts and her gang. Witnesses had confirmed that it was Nina. Alessa and Ryan headed over there to clear the scene. Apparently, Nina and her gang entered the bank and started shooting, leaving the bank teller alive to get the money. They left 2 security guards and 3 civilians dead and one civilian critically injured.

Also, Nina had yelled out at the top of her lungs to the witnesses: _"TELL ALESSA THAT THIS IS WAR!"_

"I'm not scared of her." Alessa told Ryan as she and he exited the bank. "Who the hell does she think she is? She can't just go around threatening me and not do a damn thing!"

"Alessa, please be careful what you say. Anything can happen now." Ryan advised.

She sighed heavily. "I just… We need to find her before she does more damage. The death toll will rise if we don't do something."

"I know, Alessa. And all of us are doing everything we can." He said. "God knows that you're the one who's working hard here." He walked up to her and took her hands. "But it's your safety that Horatio and I and everybody else are concerned about. She threatened you. And we're not going to let anything happen to you. Hey," He called out, and she looked up to his eyes. "Remember, I would take a bullet for you."

She smiled. "I know you would, but I don't see that happening. I don't want to lose you."

He smiled. "You're not. I'm gonna be right here. You know that."

She nodded with a grin. "I know." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. She brushed past him gently with a smile and headed to the Hummer when…

**BANG!**

When that sniper shot fired, Alessa got to her knees and pulled out her service pistol. She looked up to the buildings, trying to find the shooter, while leaning against the Hummer. After 3 seconds, no second shot was fired. She looked around…

… and found Ryan on the floor, motionless.

Alessa could not believe what she was seeing. "Oh my- Ryan? Ryan!" She called out, frantic. "Ryan! Oh my God!" She ran to his side and managed to flip him on his back. There was a huge bullet wound in his chest area. Blood soaked through his shirt and onto the cold ground. "No, no!" She placed both her hands over the bullet wound to keep it from bleeding. "No! Don't do this to me! Ryan!" She looked up. "HELP! SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP!" She yelled out. "I HAVE A POLICE OFFICER DOWN! PLEASE! I NEED HELP!" She looked at him again. "Ryan! Ryan, please! Look at me! Look at me!" She begged.

He coughed, blood running down the side of his mouth. "Alessa…"

"I'm here. I'm here, babe." She promised. "I'm here. You're gonna be okay. You'll be fine." She looked up again. "HELP! I NEED AN AMBULANCE! PLEASE! SOMEBOYD HELP US!" She looked at Ryan once again.

He desperately tried to clasp her hands; and he did. "I…"

"Not try to speak, Ryan. Just keep breathing." She advised, tears running down her cheeks.

"… I love you." He breathed.

She looked at him with hurt eyes. "Ryan…"

He laid his head back onto the ground.

"No… NO!" She screamed. "Ryan! Ryan, you have to stay with me! Please! Please! Just breathe!" She begged as hard as she could.


	4. I'm Sorry

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: Bank at Coconut Grove**

Horatio violently stepped on the brakes of his Hummer. He and Eric exited the Hummer and ran to Alessa, who was desperately trying to stop Ryan's bleeding. "Alessa!" Horatio called out.

She looked up with tears brimming in her eyes. "Horatio! He's not breathing!" She sobbed. "Horatio, he's not breathing!"

Eric started to get a pulse. "I'm not getting anything, H!" He cried out. "Ryan! Ryan, you need to breathe!"

"Ryan, stay with us!" Horatio ordered. "You need to breathe!"

* * *

**Location: Miami Dade Memorial**

Alessa had been wearing a bright pink long-sleeved blouse with her favourite stonewashed jeans. However, right now, her entire outfit had been patched with blood – Ryan's blood all over. She also had lots of blood on her hands. She was on the floor, leaning against the wall of the Miami Dade Memorial, staring to nothingness, as Ryan was in surgery. She clutched on to a necklace, the one with a rose pendant tightly. It was her favourite, as Ryan had given it to her on one of their dates.

"_Oh wait. I almost forgot." They broke free, when Ryan dug into his jeans pocket for something._

'_What is it?"_

"_Something I wanted to give to you. I really didn't know if you'd like it." He pulled out a necklace, and tied it around her neck._

_She picked the pendant and looked at it. It was a red rose, beautifully sculpted to resemble a real rose. "Oh my Gosh… It's beautiful! I love it!"_

"_Well, I know how much you love roses. I thought I get this for you."_

_She looked up to him. "Thank you."_

She never took it off since then.

Alessa closed her eyes tightly, letting a few tears stroll down and she laid her head against the wall, praying to God that he was going to be okay.

Horatio and Calleigh waited outside the ICU, with Horatio constantly watching Alessa in her state. Just then, Alexx Wood came out of the ICU, wearing a very upset look on her face. Taking a deep breath, she told Horatio and Calleigh the truth.

Horatio hung his head, and Calleigh buried her face in her hands.

"Calleigh…" Horatio managed to speak.

She sat a hand on his shoulder. "I'll tell her." She said, and made her way to Alessa, who was still on the floor. Wiping away a tear, she got onto her knees and sat a hand on Alessa's shoulder, who did not respond to her touch.

Calleigh explained what Alexx had told them, which had caused Alessa to hung her head and not say a word.

She was heartbroken, and her heart broke further when she stood at the foot of the door and saw Ryan lying on the bed, completely still. She walked up to the side of the bed, took his frail hand and squeezed it. "Please don't leave." She whispered.

_No. No, you can't be gone. Ryan, please. Open your eyes. I'm here. I'm here, Ryan. Open your eyes!_

Unable to control herself, she cried into his chest. "Please don't leave me…" She bawled, but nothing could be done.

* * *

About an hour later, Alessa had not moved from the bedside. She had stopped crying, but she held onto his hand tightly and lovingly, yet painfully, caressed his cheek with her hand. Tears regrouped in her eyes and they fell without her even blinking.

Outside the room, the entire Miami Team stood there, mourning the loss of their fellow colleague and best friend.

"She won't go." Horatio said, looking at Alessa through the window. "I tried persuading her, but she won't talk to me. She won't even look at me. And she won't leave the room."

Walter stepped in. "I'll try." Walter and Alessa were like brother and sister. They looked out for each other and always had each other's backs. Seeing his little sister in this state was heart-rending for him, especially when he had lost his friend. Best friend. Walter stepped into the room and walked behind Alessa. He was about to open his mouth when Alessa interrupted him.

"I want to leave this room. Believe me. But I…" She took a breath, trying not to sob. She still stared at Ryan. "I can't. I can't leave him."

"Alessa, you have to." He said in the gentlest voice he could. He place his hand over her hand which she used to hold Ryan's frail hand. "You need to let go."

Alessa looked at Walter with hurt eyes.

"You need to let go." He whispered.

She looked at Ryan one last time and leaned him to kiss him on the forehead. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry, Ryan."


	5. Nina's Call

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: Miami Dade Crime Lab**

**Later That Evening**

Almost immediately after Alessa could tear herself away from Ryan's bedside, Horatio arranged for her to stay at some place safe. Nina was now on a killing spree and she could very well target Alessa next after taking out someone close to her. Natalia offered to have her stay with her for the time being. Police were going to be on heavy guard duty. So while the rest of the Miami worked hard on locating Nina, Natalia brought Alessa home.

"You have a nice place, Natalia." Alessa managed to compliment, with her voice barely above a whisper.

"Thanks, Alessa. It isn't really much, but it's cosy for me." She thanked. "And by the way, you are _not_ taking the couch. The bed is big enough for both of us. I don't want you sleeping on some couch."

"Natalia…"

"I promised H I'd take care of you and that's what I'm going to do." She smiled.

Alessa made the effort to give her friend a little smile. "Thanks, Nat."

About an hour later, Alessa stared out of the window and into the night sky, watching as the white stars danced around the full moon. The constant image of Ryan bleeding to death in her arms flashed in her head. _I've got no one to blame but myself. I should've taken Nina for seriously. Maybe if I had, Ryan wouldn't be… _She continued to blame herself for Ryan's death, as tears rolled down her face.

"Alessa? I've made dinner. I hope you like Italian." Natalia called out, entering her bedroom. She found Alessa gazing out of the window in a very gloomy manner. "Alessa?"

"Ryan and I… we wanted _you_ to be the bridesmaid at our wedding and the godmother of our future child." Alessa said, as if she were in a trance, still looking out of the window. "We had everything planned out. Everything… How does it all just suddenly, go to waste? How does it all become insignificant? How?" She asked, tearing up again.

"Alessa… I can't imagine what you're going through. I know this was unexpected and you can't get over this easily." Natalia tried to be compassionate.

"I don't think I can _ever_ get over this, Nat." Alessa said. "He's gone. Ryan's gone…"

Natalie resisted the urge to tear up. "Alessa, please come and eat dinner? You need to eat to keep your strength up."

Alessa shook her head slightly. "I think I'll just go to bed."

Natalia hung her head. "Alright. Good night." She smiled, and exited the room.

Just then, Alessa's cell phone rang. She got distracted and sat on her side of the bed, with her phone in hand.

_Unknown_

Curious, she picked up the call. "Hello?" She tried to hide the pain in her voice.

"It's no use trying to pretend that you're alright. I know his death is eating you upside." The voice was feminine, yet cruel and spiteful. "Now, didn't I tell you not to mess with me, Sweetheart? You played games with me, and now you see the consequences."

Alessa's eyes widened. "Nina…"

"That's right. Ryan Wolfe is just the first of any loved ones I'm going to take away from you. Maybe next I might take your father, Horatio Caine? I mean, I know that man's dodged death a few times but hey. How lucky can one man get? Or maybe I take your daughter next. Her name is Marianne, right? Cute little girl. Would be a shame to see a little _child _get hurt…"

"Nina, don't you dare hurt my daughter. OR my father! You've done enough!" She yelled over the phone.

"Tell me something though: how did it feel, holding your beloved boyfriend in your arms, watching him bleed to death on floor? Hoping praying to God that he was going to be okay? Only to go to the hospital and cry on his chest as he laid there, dead?" Nina asked with a heartless laugh.

Tears fell down, but Alessa made the effort not to cry out. "Nina… I'm gonna find you. And when I do? I'm gonna smash that pretty face of yours! You mark my words! You're gonna get it!"

"Say what you will, Alessa. Someone else is gonna die." With that, she cut the call.

Alessa finally let go and cried out, dropping her cell phone and burying her face in her hands.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

It took a long time, but Alessa managed to close her eyes and sleep. When she opened her eyes, it was as if she had not even fallen sleep. She looked at the clock on her cell phone.

_11.24 am_

_Was I knocked out? Nope. Just tired._ Carrying all the heavy pain and sorrow in her fragile heart, she got up and had a bath.

She put on her black cardigan and walked to the kitchen to make some tea. She had always found it soothing for her as she disliked coffee. Alessa found it so painful to blink as she had been doing nothing but cry the whole time. The single thought of Ryan and she would tear up. She wiped away a lone tear using the sleeve of her cardigan and sat on the sofa with her tea in hand. She sat it down on a coaster on the coffee table in front of her.

All of a sudden, she felt… lonely. She felt solitary. She wanted to speak to a familiar and safe voice. So she picked up her cell phone and dialled for Horatio.

It went straight to voicemail.

Suddenly, she felt more lonesome than before. She decided to try for Walter.

"Hey, little sister. I was thinking of calling you. How are you?" He asked over the phone.

"I feel like someone just stomped all over me. And that someone just happens to be Nina Roberts." She said, voice rather detached.

"Alessa, we're doing everything we can here. We're going to find her." He promised.

"I know you will." _Ryan promised the same thing._ "Listen, big brother, I don't mean to be needy, but I'm in need of a person to talk to. To be honest, I'm feeling kind of… lonely." She admitted.

"Say no more, little sister. I'm coming over to Natalia's during lunch." He said almost immediately.

"Really? You will?" She asked, a little bit uplifted.

"Anything for my little sister. I'll be there soon." He smiled.

She managed to smile. "Thanks, big brother."


	6. Randall Wolfe

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: Natalia Boa Vista's home**

"How have you been, Sis?" Walter asked, sitting next to her on the sofa.

She sighed deeply, trying to keep herself from tearing up. "Bad." She confessed. "_Really_ bad. I hate this feeling of loneliness and regret."

"Regret?" He asked.

"Yeah… if I had taken Nina more seriously, Ryan wouldn't be…" She took a breath, a difficult one: trying to conceal a sob. "He um…" She tried her very best not to break down in front of him. "He would still… be here." She wiped away a fallen tear. "It's my fault, Walter. Nothing should've ever happened to him. Nothing at all. He's… he's an innocent! He was an innocent in this whole thing!" She cried out, tears falling. "I just hate this, Walter."

"Hey little sister," He called out and took her hand, and she looked at him. "I miss him too."

She could not say anything, but instead squeezed his hand tightly.

* * *

**Location: Miami Dade Crime Lab ****–**** Autopsy Room**

Horatio headed to the morgue to meet the medical examiner, Tom Lowman. A lot of things happened yesterday, and things were not going to get any better any time soon. He was very concerned about Alessa and everybody else who were affected by Ryan's untimely death by the hands of a cold-blooded killer.

"Horatio," Tom dejectedly greeted. "Thank you for coming down."

"Not a problem, Doctor Lowman. What are we looking at?" He asked, equally depressed, but he tried to cover it up.

"Well," Tom started out, running a hand gently past the side of Ryan's head. "The bullet caused massive bleeding. Even though Doctor Woods did everything she could, nothing could have stopped that bleeding."

Horatio hung his head in disappointed. _You were so young,_ Horatio thought. _And Alessa needed you_. Gently, he placed a hand on Ryan's cheek, unable to say anything.

"Horatio? His personal effects from the hospital?" He pointed to a table beside him.

Horatio turned his attention to the table: his wallet, service pistol and police badge were neatly placed in a row. Horatio noticed a piece of paper sticking out from the wallet. Opening the wallet, he realised it was not a paper, but instead a folded photographed. He unfolded it and nearly teared up at the sight of the couple inside it.

It was Ryan and Alessa.

He hung his head, thinking about Alessa. He folded it again but instead kept it in his pocket. "The rest go to his parents and brother. Are they on their way?"

Tom nodded. "Walter called them. They'll be here in a few hours."

Horatio acknowledged that. "Okay. Take care of him for me." He walked out.

* * *

**Location: Natalia Boa Vista's home (A few hours later)**

Alessa was still in Natalia's home for the time being. Nothing went through her mind except for Ryan. She had already used up an entire box of tissues. It was really hard for her and she was having problem trying to cope with it. _I'm never going to get over this_, she thought. _Never._

Then, the front door opened up and in came in a familiar face. "Alessa."

She got up from the sofa. "Randy!" She went to him and gave him a hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here." She started to sob quietly.

Randall returned the hug, not wanting to let her go. "It's okay, Aless. It's okay." He tried to comfort her.

"I failed to protect him, Randy. I never meant to involve Ryan in this." She whimpered.

"Hey, no." He pulled back so he could see her. "Big brother knew how much you love him. You didn't fail him, Alessa. You never did." He said, trying to control his own tears for his brother.

Alessa was still unsure about that. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"They're… they're at the Dade. In the morgue." He painfully answered.

She sighed. "Well, have a sit. I'll make you something to drink." She offered.

* * *

**Later That Night**

Later that night, Randall and his parents were staying at a nearby hotel and Alessa continued to stay with Natalia. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Randy." She was on the phone with Randall, Ryan's younger brother. "Okay. Love you." She ended the call and sighed heavily, trying not to tear up once again. She tried her best not to cry every single second, but it was no use. She had lost Ryan just yesterday, and pretending to be okay was as unlikely as her ever drinking coffee. She kept clinging onto the necklace Ryan had given her, and memories began to flood her mind.

One was of the day they met.

_Ryan went over to the apartment 3D. The door was open, so he knocked on it. "Hello?"_

_"Coming!" A voice shouted back in response._

_The next thing he knew, he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was an Indian-American, with long braid hair._

_"Yes?" she questioned._

_He snapped out of it. "Uh…" He cleared his throat. "I need to ask you some questions about Mike. Will that be okay?"_

_She smiled. "Sure." She extended her hand. "My name's Alessa Caine."_

_He shook her hand and smiled. "Ryan Wolfe."_

_"CSI?" She asked._

_"Yeah."_

_"Cool. So you work with Lieutenant Caine?"_

_"Yep." He confirmed._

_"Oh okay." She said, as they sat down on her sofa. "Oh what do you want to know, CSI Wolfe?"_

_"It's just a 5 year difference. Alessa. You can call me Ryan." He smiled._

_Alessa was actually smittened by him. "Okay… Ryan." She smiled back._

* * *

And another was his love proposal.

_Ryan realised that if he did not express his feelings now itself, he was not going to get another chance. "Aless! Wait!" He called out._

_She turned and made her way to him. "What's up?"_

_"Uh," He did not know how to start, but he knew he had to speak from the heart. "I need to confess something, but I need you to hear me out first."_

_"Okay. What is it?" She asked._

_It is do or die time. "Alessa, I love you."_

_She went wide-eyed, not believing what he had just said._

_"Ever since we met, all I could think about was you. After working with you in these few months, I fell in love with you even more." He picked up her hands. "I am never going to treat you the way Damian did. I'm going to cherish every moment we spend together. I'd do anything to make sure you smile. I wouldn't bear to see you cry, Alessa. If you do, I will never ever be away from you. I'll hold you in my arms until the pain goes away."_

_She blinked a few times in disbelief, before a smile started to form on her face._

_Ryan started to feel more confident after seeing that smile. "You're the most amazing girl I've ever met. Alessa, I'm convince that you're good enough for me."_

_She smiled brighter than the Sun ever will. "Really? You're not messing with me, Ryan? You really love me that much?"_

_"Yeah! Alessa, I will never lie to you." He pledged. "That beautiful smile you're giving me now: Is that a yes?"_

_She blushed; shy to look into his eyes. "Yes."_

_He couldn't believe it. "Really?"_

_She nodded, still keeping her smile. "Ryan, I've like you from the start. I thought you were different and you were. You knew how to make a girl feel better, but I didn't know how you felt. After all, we have a major difference is appearance." She lifted up the back of her hand, trying to indicate the fact he was a Caucasian, and she was half Indian._

_He smiled, and gently took that hand. "It doesn't matter. What matters most, is that I love you."_

_She looked into his gorgeous green eyes, leaned forward, and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Ryan slowly ran his fingers up her soft hair._

_She pulled back, arms proceeding to wrap themselves around his neck. She kept her focus into his eyes, as their foreheads touched. "I love you too."_

* * *

Not being able to shed a few tears was impossible for her; now that he was gone, slipped away from her grasp. Just then, her cell phone rang again. She looked at the caller I.D.

_Unknown_

She rolled her eyes annoyingly and spitefully, but she answered the call. "What the hell do you want, Nina?"

"No, no, Sweetie. I'm the one who should be asking you that." Nina spoke over the phone.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I mean, what is it you want exactly? Now that you've lost all reason to move on?" She asked sarcastically.

"Revenge." Alessa growled. "That's what I want, Nina. You took Ryan away from me. And now I want revenge."

"Well then come and get it." She simply said. "Tomorrow, meet me at that abandoned house on Biscayne Boulevard. We'll end this once and for all. You and me. Tell no one."

All Alessa wanted was vengeance for everything Nina had put her through. "Fine. I'll see you there tomorrow."

"8am. Don't be late, Dear."

"Nina, I'm going to _kill_ you." Alessa snarled.


	7. Trouble for the Caines

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: Abandoned House on Biscayne Boulevard**

Just as Nina instructed, Alessa went to that abandoned house on Biscayne Boulevard at 8am. She was raging, unable to control herself for what she might do to Nina when she sees her. She pulled the slide of her gun back and let go of it. Her gun was loaded and she planned on using it.

Alessa carefully opened the front door, inch by inch. However, it still produced a squeak. "Nina?" She called out and entered the house. "I'm here. Let's finish this." She got nothing. "Nina, come out so I can kill you!" She instead yelled.

"_Alessa? Honey, is that you?"_

Alessa was taken aback by the reply. It was not Nina, but she still knew that voice.

"_Alessa, is that you?"_

She followed the direction of the voice. She walked past the living room and peered past the wall which allowed her to see the kitchen.

The doorway had been fixed with a plane of glass, and Horatio was on the other side of it!

"Oh my God! Horatio!" She exclaimed and made her way to him. "Horatio! What happened?"

"I don't know! I woke up here!" He said, putting his hands on the glass. "There's no way out!"

"That BITCH!" She cursed, and tried to break the glass down.

"Alessa, just call the police! Nina left a while ago!" Horatio pleaded.

"You sure about that?" Alessa turned around and was immediately hit in the abdomen with an axe. Nina pulled the axe out and Alessa fell to the floor, clutching onto her stomach.

"No!" Horatio screamed. "Alessa!"

"So, what was this about wanting to kill me?" She was about to drive the axe into Alessa again when she regained strength and grabbed the axe as well. The wound that had been inflicted onto her was a shallow one. They fought for the axe, and Alessa managed to get to her feet but she was still weak.

Nina slapped Alessa in the face and kicked her in the stomach which caused Alessa to fall back and hit the glass plane. She fell onto her knees.

"Nina! Nina, I'm begging you, please stop this! Don't hurt Alessa anymore! Please!" Horatio begged.

She dragged Alessa away from the glass plane and then turned to face Horatio. "It's your fault for letting your precious daughter act like she can take me on! And that's why her beloved boyfriend paid of it with his life. Her daughter Marianne, her brother-in-law 'Randy' whom she so affectionately calls, her so-called 'brother' Walter, her 'sisters' Calleigh Duquesne and Natalia Boa Vista and her uncle Eric Delko are ALL going to pay! Oh, and let's not forget Kyle. Yet I'm sure he'll die in some war tour so let's forget about that. But first, we'll start with you." She pulled out a little device form her pocket and hit a little red button.

Noises like a coca cola fizzing rang around the kitchen Horatio was in. Soon, green gas began to disperse. Horatio coughed and wheezed for air.

"N-no! Horatio!" Alessa called out.

Nina turned to find her on her feet but still unstable. "Aw hell. I might as well kill two birds with one stone." Nina made her way to Alessa and drove the axe into Alessa's original abdominal wound, this time harder. She cried out like never before and fell flat on her face.

"Alessa!" Horatio coughed. "N-no!" He coughed again. "You have to… get… help…" His vision was getting blurry and he started to pass out.

Satisfied with her work, Nina dropped the axe and made her way to the outside with an evil smirk on her face.

"Alessa…" Horatio gasped for oxygen. "Get up… get help… please… help… me…"


	8. You Need To Help Him

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: Bella Cuba Restaurant  
(From Alessa's point of view)**

_I don't know. Something just feels wrong to me. I'm supposed to meet Ryan here. Yet, I feel like I should be somewhere else and that this isn't real. Is this a dream then? Am I just sleeping and I'm having a dream right now?_

"Am I late, babe?" That voice whispered in my ear lovingly.

I smiled to myself as the man of my dreams took his seat opposite me. "Nope. In fact, I think you might be early."

"Well, I do know that it's not gentleman-like to keep a lady waiting. Especially when that lady is an angel." _Hm. Angel. He'd always say that about me and I loved it. He would know exactly what to say to me to make me smile or to make me feel better._

I grinned. "Ryan…" I also blushed. "Well, well." I said. "Now don't _you_ look handsome. Wait no. What am I saying? You're always handsome." I leaned in. "It's just that for some reason, you look extra handsome today. Why is that?" I asked innocently.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't I look handsome every day?" He raised his eyebrows.

I grinned again. "You _sure_ do…" _My God. Can this man get anymore sexier?_

"So, Alessa, shall we order?" He asked with a smile.

"Yeah sure." I smiled.

_Dinner was amazing, but what was more amazing was the company. We were now at the Miami Beach boardwalk, enjoying the sun set. Ryan wrapped an arm around me and whispered sweet-nothings to me, saying I looked beautiful tonight. I giggled uncontrollably. I couldn't help it. It was his fault._

"Stop…" I said, completely embarrassed.

"But you don't want me to, I know." He smiled.

_I was so captivated by his eyes. Those beautiful dreamy green orbs captured my soul and I couldn't look away. _"You're so sweet."

"Well, you know I try." He grinned and took my hands. "Um, Alessa," Suddenly, he took very serious. I was confused. "There's something I need to tell you."

"This sounds serious." I said.

"It is." He took a breath. "Alessa, I need you to wake up."

I was confused. "What? Ryan, what are you talking about?"

"Alessa, you need to wake up. You need to open your eyes and get up." He said in a serious yet calm manner.

"Ryan, I don't understand!"

"Alessa, you need to help him."

"Help who?" I demanded to know.

"You need to help him. You need to help Horatio." _I was completely shell-shocked. What was he saying? What happened to Horatio?_ "Before it's too late. Wake up. Open your eyes and get up. You need to help him." Ryan took a step closer to me. "He's gonna die, unless you help him."

_Before I could answer, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen, as if someone had driven something into it. I gasped in pain and fell to the floor. Everything started to turn black and blurry. I closed my eyes…_

* * *

**Location: Abandoned House on Biscayne Boulevard **

Alessa opened her eyes in a flash. Pain swept through her entire body and she realized where she was. She then remembered…

…Horatio.

She pushed herself up so she could look up. Green gas continued to disperse in that little area and Horatio was on the floor, completely still.

With the support of the wall, Alessa forced herself to stand up and pull out her service pistol. She continued to bleed form her abdomen, but she did not acknowledge that. She pointed the gun at the glass plane and fired a view shots. The glass cracked and finally broke into little shards. The wind swept through the entire house, clearing it of the green gas.

"Horatio…" She leaned against the wall. She felt her legs wobbled as she tried to steady herself. "Get… get up." She said and the gun fell from her frail hand. "Please… you… you have to breathe! Please get up! I… I helped you! Please get up!" She tried to make a move for him, but instead her legs gave way, and she fell onto her knees. She clutched her abdomen, sobbing in pain, but more for the fact that Horatio was not responding. "No… not you too… I'm sorry…" She apologised. "I'm so sorry, Daddy…" She was ready to give up and just die then and there, when she heard something.

Horatio coughed and gasped for air. "A-Alessa?" He slowly rose to his feet. "Honey?"

She could not believe what she was seeing. She struggled to her feet. "Daddy? Daddy, you're… okay!" She gave a smile. "I'm… so glad…" Her legs gave way once again and she nearly fell to the ground when Horatio, still rather weak, managed to catch her.

"Alessa!" He caught her and laid her on his lap. "Honey, stay with me!" He saw her eyes flutter and start to close. Her outfit has been stained with her own blood.

"I... helped him… I helped him, Ryan…" She mumbled and her eyes fluttered. "He's okay…"


	9. Why Do I Suffer?

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: Miami Dade Memorial**

"Horatio, are you sure you don't want to get looked at?" Alexx Woods asked, very concerned. "I mean, I know you say you're fine now, but you were breathing in toxic gas. If Alessa hadn't gotten up and shot that glass plane…"

"I would be dead too, I know… But right now, I'm more concerned about her. She took 2 hits, Alexx!" Horatio said. "She took 2 hits, yet she had the strength to save me. I have to save her now."

"She's stable. She's in no danger right now, but she will need lots of rest. Those hits weren't deep enough to cause severe bleeding." She said. "You can go ahead and see her, Horatio. She's awake." She said with a small smile.

"Thank you, Alexx." He thanked, and made his way to the private room. He peered inside and saw Alessa sitting upright and staring out of the window. She had a lost look on her face, as if everything had crashed and burnt.

"Alessa? Honey, you shouldn't be sitting upright." He said in a gentle tone and walked up to her.

She did not look at him. In fact, he wondered if she even knew of his presence. "Alessa, I want to thank you for what you did back there. You saved my life."

She finally looked at him.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. You do know that, right?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I know."

He smiled. "And you're going to be okay."

"No… no, you don't get it, Horatio." She said. "Don't you see? I'm never going to be okay!" Tears formed in her delicate brown eyes. "I lost Ryan and I nearly lost you. How much more am I going to take, Horatio? I'm not that strong!" She cried out. "I was fine before. But now, it's like…" She tried to find the right words. "It's like I'm falling to shattered bits and pieces, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it." She hung her head.

"No, no, Honey. You're not. Look at me." He lifted her head. "You're going to be okay. I know things have been hard, but you'll bounce back. You _always _do. You'll be alright. Don't give up yet."

Tears streamed down her face. "Do I really deserve this, Horatio? Why do I always have to suffer?"

Horatio simply took her into a comforting hug. "You won't have to suffer anymore, Alessa. Once we get Nina, everything will be okay. I promise."


	10. The Confrontation

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: The Caine's residence  
3 days later**

Three days later, Alessa had been released from the hospital, and was given a month to rest until the wounds would heal up. Horatio had wanted to have her sit with a psychiatrist, but she declined, saying that she would rather speak with someone she knew. So every day, before Horatio would leave for work, he and Alessa would sit down and talk.

"How do you feel today, Honey?" He asked pleasantly.

"The same." She merely answered.

He decided to ask her another question. "Alessa, when you shot through that glass, and saved me…"

She looked at him. "You don't have to thank me, Horatio. I did what any child would to do when their parent was in danger."

"You did, Alessa. And I'm forever grateful that what you did. I need to know why you were mumbling Ryan's name when I caught you before you fell." He said.

Alessa was a little confused. "I was? I… I can't remember." She tried to recall.

"It's okay if you can't. I thought you did." He said.

It was slowly coming back to her. "'Help him'…" She mumbled. "Ryan said 'help him'. He knew you were in danger. He told me to help you. If it wasn't for Ryan, I wouldn't have gotten up and shot that glass!"

"Alessa…" Horatio took her hand. "Ryan is…"

"But... but it was _so _real! We were on a date. He said I looked beautiful. Then he told me to help you." She related.

"Alessa, it was just a hallucination. It sometimes happens when you feel like you're on the brink of death." He explained. "And sometimes, they can insert some kind of 'message' in it too. Yours had you get up and save me."

"No…" She shook her head. "It was so real…"

"Alessa…" He decided to relate to her. "I was in the same position too." That sentence caused her to look up. "When I got shot, I had this hallucination too. I was with Marisol and we were on this date. Then blood seeped through my shirt, exactly at the spot where I got shot. And she kept telling me to go back."

"Go back? What did that meant?" She said.

"I had to leave… and save Natalia." He said with a fake smile on his face.

She knew how much it hurt to talk about it. "I'm so sorry, Horatio."

He shook his head, trying to say that it was not her fault. "So, you could've experienced the same thing."

She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that could be it." She glanced that the clock. "You better get going."

He looked at the clock as well. "Right. I'll see you later. Call me or any of the others if you need anything." He got up.

She smiled. "I will. Bye, Daddy."

He opened the front door. "Bye, Alessa." He closed the door behind him.

Alessa was in solitude again.

* * *

**Later That Evening**

Alessa laid on her comfortable bed, eyes wide open. She wanted to sleep for a little, but that was not possible. The pain was still nudging at her, as well as the pain in her heart. Her eyes fell on a picture on her nightstand. It was a framed photograph of her and Ryan. She simply could not believe that he was gone. Just like that. She was not going to be held in his arms anymore. He was not going to give her those daily smiles anymore. Everything was worthless right now. She left even more lost than before.

_Crash!_

That sound jolted Alessa and she sat up on her bed. She suddenly felt as if something was wrong, terribly wrong. She got from her bed as discreetly as she could and took her service pistol from her nightstand and opened her bedroom door.

There was nothing in the hallways. With each silent step, she made her way to the living room. She found the source of the crash: the mirror had fallen to the ground and broken into large and tiny pieces.

Footsteps. She heard footsteps… and they were behind her. Swiftly despite the pain, she turned and elbowed Nina in the jaw. She fell to the floor with a thud.

"Nina… I should've known!" Alessa pointed the gun as her.

Nina reached out for it and the ladies fought for dominance for it. During the struggle, one shot had been realised into the ceiling. Nina knew that Alessa was not going to let go so she punch her in her wounded Alessa. Pain surged through her like electricity and she staggered back. Nina pointed the gun at Alessa but she kicked Nina in the legs and she fell to her knees. Alessa managed to get back on her feet. She grabbed Nina by her neck and threw her through the coffee table.

"Nina, I said I was going to smash that pretty face of yours in. Don't make me _kill_ you instead!" Alessa warned and quickly picked up her fallen pistol

Despite the hard impact, Nina tried to get back on her feet. She held a large shard of glass in her hand. Alessa fired the gun and the bullet got caught in Nina's upper right arm. Nina proved to be tough; she took the bullet, but stood tall. "You… you're gonna have to do more than that, Alessa!" She said, weak.

Alessa struggled to keep to her feet.

"What's the matter, pumpkin? Still depressed over Ryan? He's gone, Sweetie! Get over it! Because I killed him!"

Alessa was feeling mixed emotions; anger, solitude, depression. "Shut up!"

"Face it, Alessa! Your precious little boyfriend isn't coming back! He's not going to be here anymore for you!" Nina was pushing it. "And you? You're nothing but a scrawny little bitch!" Nina charged for Alessa with the large shard in her hand.

Alessa grabbed her hand and knees Nina in her stomach. And with everything she had in her, she forced Nina's own hand into her abdomen, the shard penetrating her. Nina gasped in pain. Alessa looked into Nina's pained eyes. "Who's the scrawny little bitch _now_?" She questioned, and let go of Nina, who fell to the floor, bleeding to death.

Alessa leaned against the wall and slid to the ground as tears streamed down her face. All she did was wait patiently for the police to arrive.


	11. The Funeral

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**2 Days later**

The investigation was rather complicated. Alessa had given her side of story, which was the truth: that she killed Nina willingly. In fact, when Horatio and Walter arrived at the scene, Alessa had held out her hands and said, _"Well? Aren't you going to arrest me?"_

However, Horatio and the team did not want Alessa to go down like this. As far as they were concerned, Alessa was not a killer. They fought hard and tried to get through to the judge that Alessa had acted in self-defence. Nina _was _the one who attacked Alessa in her own home. They also added that Alessa had been mildly mentally unstable due to the recent death of Ryan Wolfe, so anything she would say can be either true or false, and no one would know.

"_My daughter is not a killer. If anything, she acted in self-defence. Nina Roberts, after all, was the one who attacked her in her own home. Alessa is not, and will never be, a cold-blooded killer. She's a police officer, a CSI, a devoted mother and a perfect daughter."_

After a long and hard decision, the judge decided that Alessa would be released for acting in self-defence and that she would be referred to a therapist to cope with all this. Until she maintains a more stable behaviour, she was going to be on leave.

* * *

**Location: Cemetery **

That evening was Ryan's funeral. Everyone who knew him came to it. Reverend Mike, an old friend of Horatio's attended the funeral as the priest. After he spoke, the American flag had been folded up and given to Ryan's parents. After that, Alessa, Horatio, the entire Miami team and his family each placed a white rose on top of his coffin. Alessa and her daughter, Marianne were the last ones. Alessa kissed the rose and then placed on top of the coffin. Soon, it was the 7-gun salute, and one of the uniformed men holding the rifle was Kyle Harmon.

Alessa gripped onto Horatio's hand even tighter than before. As the 3 shots rang into the air, no one could hear Alessa sobbing over it.

The funeral service had ended. Everyone went home except for the Miami team and Ryan's family. Randall, Ryan's younger brother, Delia and Kevin, his parents walked up to Alessa.

"Alessa, sweetie?" Delia called out.

"Mrs Wolfe." She greeted.

Delia hugged her tightly. "Thank you for bringing justice to our family, dear. I don't care what anyone says: you did the right thing."

"So, if I were to go to jail for it? Would you still accept me?" She asked.

Delia caressed Alessa's cheeks gently. "Of course! You'll always be my daughter-in-law, dear. That wretched woman got what was coming to her. If anything, you did Miami a huge favour. I just she hadn't…"

"I was there, Mrs Wolfe. I should've done something. If it wasn't for me, Ryan would still be here!"

"No, no. Don't ever blame yourself, Alessa." Kevin stepped in. "You didn't do anything wrong. None of this was ever your fault. _Please _don't blame yourself." He said.

She hung her head in sadness.

"Sweetie," Delia lifted her head. "We love you very much. Ryan loved you very much. We miss him just as much, but you _never_ did anything wrong."

She smiled. "Thanks, Mrs Wolfe."

Delia embraced her in a long hug.

Later, Ryan's family left, but Alessa stayed behind to stare at Ryan's grave. She continued to reflect on this past week's events. As much as she was glad that justice had been served, all she wanted was her beloved Ryan back, but that was not going to happen. He was gone, and she could not do anything about it.

Horatio and Randall walked up to her. She continued to face her back to them as she looked at Ryan's tombstone. "Alessa?" Randall called out.

"Do you what the last thing Ryan said to me?" She said.

"What was it?" Randall wanted to know.

She smiled, even though it was teary. "He said 'I love you'."

"You know he does. Right, honey? Ryan loved you more than anything else in this world." Horatio said.

"And I didn't want it to stop…"

Horatio walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulders. He said in a gentle tone. "It never will. Wherever he is, he loves you very much. He always has."

"Yeah, Aless." Randall walked up to her as well. "Big brother would always talk about you. You are, and will always be everything to him. He's not gone, Alessa. He's still with us. With _you_."


	12. Always Been You

**_A/N: Apologises for the late chapter!_  
**

* * *

**CSI: Miami ****–**** Alessa Monica Caine ****–****"****Fallen to Shattered Bits and Pieces****"**

* * *

**Location: Ryan Wolfe's apartment**

Right after the funeral, Alessa went home to change, and she made her way to Ryan's apartment. She volunteered to pack all of his items in boxes, saying that she did not want his family members to have to go through the pain, but in reality, it was hurting a lot to have to do this. She never thought it would hurt so badly, but she was wrong.

First, Alessa packed all of his clothes. She opened up his wardrobe and went through it. Sweater vests, shirts, t-shirts, coats, jeans… whenever he would wear t-shirts and coat, Ryan would remind her of a little Horatio.

So she could not help but give a little smile.

She carefully folded all of them and placed them in the boxes. She was down to the last few t-shirts. She took one out of its hanger for a minute, stopped to look at it. _I won't be seeing him in them anymore. _Trying to conceal the tears, she nuzzled her face in the t-shirt and proceeded to folding it and placing it in the box.

Finally, she was done with his clothes. She kept the box aside and took a seat at the edge of his bed. She ran her hand over the surface of it, and started to reminisce.

"_I had no idea you cooked! This is a wonderful 6 month anniversary, Ryan!" Alessa squealed as she sat on his bed._

"_Well, I wanted this day to be special, so I learned a few tricks." He said._

"_It looked like you've done this before."_

"_Oh really? You should tell that to the burnt pots and pans I threw out!" He said humorously._

_She laughed out loud, unable to control herself. Ryan sat beside her. They stared into each other's eyes, trying to control each other. Ryan ran a hand past her cheek to which Alessa took this opportunity to lean in and kiss him. _

_She pulled back and touched foreheads with him. "I love you, Ryan."_

_He smiled. "I love you, Alessa."_

Alessa smiled, but she shut her eyes tightly and let a few tears fall.

Then, she heard someone opening and closing the front door. She did not bother to get up and check. She figured it was Randall or his mother, but she was in for a surprise.

Horatio entered the room.

She did not know what to say to him.

He gave her a small smile. "I figured you could use some help. Would you?"

She wiped away the tears and nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice."

This was usually the part where Horatio would give her a really comforting hug and tell her it was going to be okay, but he knew that that was not what she needed. She needed to let go for now.

Alessa was packing all the items from his nightstand when she picked up a framed picture of herself and Ryan. "It felt real, you know."

Horatio looked up from a box. He had been packing it with all of Ryan's books. "I'm sorry, sweetheart?" He was confused.

"That… hallucination. It felt real." She said. "Like he was really there and everything was just perfect. It couldn't have been…"

"I'm really sorry, Alessa. I know this is difficult." He walked up to her. "But you have to face the truth. As much as I don't want to admit it myself, I will: Ryan's gone."

She looked up at him.

"You're never going to get over this, yes. You never will. But each day _will_ get better. Know how?"

She shook her head.

"Because knowing that he'll out there, watching over you, still loving you, is good enough. That's how I felt when Marisol left me too. I never got over it, but each day got better, because I took comfort in the fact that I know, she still loves me." He explained.

"Wow, I…" She sniffed. "I guess I never thought of it that way."

He smiled. "It's going to be okay. Alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She turned around and returned to her duty of clearing his nightstand. She opened the drawer and immediately found something strange. "Horatio?"

"Yes, Honey?" He looked up from the pile of books.

"I found something." Alessa opened up the little maroon box she was carrying. Instantly, she was looking at a diamond ring. "It's… it's beautiful! But why could he have this with him?"

Horatio realised what it was. "Honey… it's an engagement ring."

She looked up with shocked eyes. "What?"

"Ryan… came to me a week ago. He asked me for his blessing."

"He... he was… going to ask me to marry him?" She asked, still astonished.

"He loved you more than anything else in this world. He just wanted to be with you forever." He explained.

She tried to blink the tears away. "I… I don't know what to do with this."

"Why don't uh… why don't you wear it?" He said.

"Really? Should I?" She did not know.

"I think Ryan would have wanted you to." He smiled.

She smiled as well, as looked the ring out of the box and wore it on her finger. "My gosh… it's so beautiful!" She looked up at the ceiling. "Thank you, babe." She whispered.

* * *

**Location: Cemetery**

The next day, Alessa decided to go the cemetery and see Ryan. There were so many things she wanted to say to him. Maybe this was the best way to do it. With Horatio's encouragement, she went to his tombstone.

Alessa took a few steps to his grave, and wore that same necklace he had given her. She also held a single rose in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak out loud.

"Hi, Ryan. It's me, Alessa. There are a few things I want to say to you, but I felt like I couldn't. But, Horatio and Walter encouraged me so here I am: about to say those things."

"I miss you. I miss you so much. Everyday, ever since that day, I've been blaming myself for what happened. I had every right to. I should've protected you, but I didn't. And now, you're gone. You're gone and I can't accept that! I can't accept the fact that you're not going to hold me in your arms again! That you're not going to give me those smiles at work! That's you're not going to take my hands, look me in the eyes and say 'I love you, Alessa'…"

"But I'm trying to accept this. I am. I can't get over this. But… Horatio told me that it'll be okay because you're going to still love me, right? You're still going to watch over me and protect me? I know you will. I know you will because you love me right?" She wished she could get an answer.

She started to smile. "I uh… I found the ring. It's beautiful. You really shouldn't have. Oh and to answer your question, because I _know_ you were gonna ask me… yes. Yes, Ryan, I want to marry you. And like I wanted, we'd have a little baby boy, one just like you." She giggled. "And like you wanted, a little girl like me. Isn't Marianne enough though?" She giggled one again.

"But none of that is going to happen, though. I want you to know that there is never going to be anyone else, Ryan. It's only going to be you. The thought of there being someone else is not possible. It never will be. You were the one, the only one. And I want to make sure it stays that way." She knelt down and placed the red rose she was carrying into the flower pot. Then, she took out something from the inner pocket of her black jacket. It was a photograph of her and Ryan, the one from his wallet. "I'll always have something of you." She kept it close to her heart. "I love you, Ryan."

Getting up, she turned her heel and walked away from his grave, running her fingers past the ring. As she walked through the falling leaves from the trees all around her, she let the last few tears fall and ease her sorrow.

* * *

**THE END! :D**

**Thank you to everyone who stuck with the story. To be honest, I kinda cried while I wrote this chapter. I DON'T KNOW WHY!  
**


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